Paul Christopher

The principal character in the novel The Tears of Autumn, Paul is a veteran intelligence officer whose cover is a globe-trotting journalist. Before he becomes a spy, 15 years earlier, Paul is a poet, but spy craft kills his gift. Paul is an idealist, refusing to carry a gun and avoiding whenever possible killing people. Fellow agents make fun of this, but admire his talents and intuitions. Many say he is more trouble than he is worth, but he is much decorated and trusted by his old friend, David Pratchen, who is highly placed in the Agency, and his case officer, Tom Webster, in Rome.

Paul is divorced from Cathy and has a lover, Molly, in Rome, Italy. As the novel opens, Paul has been in nine countries in 20 days, changing languages and names constantly. After meeting with a Vietnamese contact in Laos, who he knows is about...